Keys to the Kingdom
by Firestarter62
Summary: An ancient darkness arises to unleash doom upon the universe, and there is only one hero who can defeat it: The Keybearer. But with Sora and Riku busy preparing for their Mastery exams, the task falls to an unlikely hero: Pence, of Twilight Town.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, it belongs to the good folks at Disney and Square.**

Prologue: Faded Memories

_A scattered dream that's like a far off memory…_

The hero stood alone in an alley of a dark city, lit only by occasional flashes of lightning and the neon glow of a sign that hung on a nearby wall. In his right hand he gripped the black hilt of his weapon tightly, letting the tip of the blade known as Oblivion rest on the ground. He wore a black cloak and a determined face.

As the thunder boomed once more, this time louder than ever, the hero raised his Keyblade to a stance of attack, crouching low and gripping it with both hands.

Then came the enemy.

The creatures flooded the alley by the dozens, climbing over each other in a desperate attempt to reach the hero and claim the honor of beings his death before one of its brothers could nab the chance. The enemies were small, black as the twisted night with the exception of bright yellow eyes like twin headlights speeding towards a frightened deer.

But in spite of the overwhelming force being displayed against him, the hero remained calm, with not a twitch to suggest fear or alarm. He simply stood, ready to face the threat. Defeat would mean nothing, nor death. This was his last stand, and of that he was well aware. He knew that it was the end for him, but he would fight regardless. There was no other option.

_A far off memory that's like a scattered dream…_

They came over him in a wave, an unrelenting force of shadow, an unbreakable barrier of malice and hatred.

But the hero fought. As they came over him, he swung his weapon in a mighty arc and cleaved half a dozen in half with one stroke, then swung again, this time downward, resulting in the loss of another trio of enemies.

As they came, he fought, destroying countless foes. Though he had strength, the sheer number and force of the attack pushed him back, and soon he would be pressed against the back wall of the alley, and the end would come truly.

And at the last, with nowhere to go and no options but to submit to the enemy, the hero relented. Sighing heavily, he dropped his weapon and let it fall to the ground, a final gravemarker to commemorate his end. The shadows surged forward, empowered by the release of the hated weapon from the hero's hand. For the lucky few able to reach their target, this would truly be a meal to remember.

And then she came.

She fell upon the shadows like a light fall of rain, but hit them like a meteor dropped from the heavens. She was dressed in an odd outfit, a combination of flowing pink silk and steel gray battle armor. Her pink blouse was nigh transparent, showcasing a blue midriff-baring top. Her breeches were tight against the skin of her legs, disappearing eventually into dark grey boots. From her left elbow to just below her wrist, a steely gauntlet with a shining yellow crystal in its center protected the area from harm. Both of her shoulders were protected by heavy looking iron pauldrons, and her knees were kept safe by thick iron kneepads.

In her hands she wielded a weapon similar in purpose to the hero's, though in appearance the two could not be further apart. Whereas the blade of the hero was hard, rigid lines and darkness, there was a certain flow to the blade she wielded. It twisted and curved upon itself, forming a blade not unlike an Arabian scimitar. It was a deep pink with rushes of blue shooting through it, the color of an Arabian twilight.

Her gaunt but not unappealing face was deeply tanned, her dark hair done in a long braid that extended to the small of her back. Her eyes were deep pools of blue, and her lips were thin and cruel. She was obviously not a woman to be trifled with.

_I want to line the pieces up…_

The shadows came at her similarly to how they had attacked the hero. But instead of taking them on physically, she extended her left arm and muttered a word in some incomprehensible language. In her hand, sparks gathered to form a burning orb. As soon as the orb had taken shape, it launched from her palm, hitting several enemies head on and turning them into naught but ash and shadow.

More still remained, but she was upon them like a whirlwind, spinning and slicing, slashing and chopping. Within moments, the creatures of darkness found their numbers decreased significantly, without being replenished at the same rate as before.

Empowered by the weakening of his enemies, the hero's blade returned to his hand in a flash. He rushed forward to assist his new ally. A mighty swing leveled several shadows, and a second slash took another few.

With her quickness and his strength, the hero and his ally soon had soundly defeated the creatures that had beset themselves upon them. Together they stood in the alley, alone save for each other. At last.

"That was dangerous," the hero reprimanded, pointing an accusatory finger at the woman, "An ill-advised. It was my time, that was my stand."

"I'm afraid you're mistaken on that point, old friend," the woman replied, scorn heavy in her voice, "_That _was suicide. You knew that you didn't have a hope of defeating those Fallen, but you provoked them anyway."

"They were _his_, Odessa," he argued back, pointing at an empty spot behind him as violently as if his enemy was standing there, "And however many I could defeat before my end was only going to make the job easier for you and the others. But I'm afraid that I can't help you any further than that. You know what happened, what I was when I was under his control… I can't be like that again. And I know that confronting him is only going to turn me into that again. I'm too weak to be of any use to you now. To you, or to anyone."

The woman stared at the former hero, pity in her eyes. He hated that. "Fine," she said, choking back a sob and holding in tears, "If that's the way you want to be, then so be it. I didn't want to believe it, but Babus was right. You _are _lost." As the tears began to fall from her eyes, she turned away from her former friend and ran out of the alley into the night.

With a heavy sigh of regret and exasperation, the hero raised his hood over his close-cropped red hair, turned from the mouth of the alley, and walked away into the night. As he moved forward, the darkness surrounded him until all was black…

_Yours and Mine._

Pence opened his eyes slowly, begrudgingly returning to the world of the living. For a time he simply lay back under the covers of his bed, staring at the ceiling of his bedroom. A moment later, he turned his head to gaze out the window. Outside, the perpetual twilight of the town reigned, slowly shifting from the darker hue of the night to the light of the morning.

_Weird dream_, he thought idly, placing his hands behind his head, _I've never had one that's looked so real before._

Yawning loudly, Pence sat up, letting the covers fall away from his chest and reveal his blue and white sleep shirt. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table as he stretched. _9:30_, he thought as he looked at the digital timer. That meant that he had an hour before he was supposed to head to the secret spot to meet up with Hayner and Olette. It was a beautiful Saturday, and _of course _Hayner wasn't going to want to waste it. With him, it was always go, go, go.

Sighing, he pushed off the covers and plodded off to go get breakfast.

**KH-KH-KH-KH-KH**

"Now wait just a minute, Your Highness," Adelbert Steiner cautioned his young charge, placing a large hand on the girl's shoulder, "You must allow me to go first, to make sure that it's safe."

Garnet til Alexandros XVII sighed heavily, but decided to let her bodyguard have his fun. After all, it wasn't like they were going to encounter any _real_ threats. "Very well, sir knight." Steiner nodded his thanks and stepped out the door of the train, placing one hand on the hilt of the sword that was sheathed on his back and looking around the train station with a wary eye.

After a moment, he was satisfied. "All is well, dear princess," he instructed her, "You may come out now."

As she stepped down from the train, assisted by Adelbert's strong hand, Garnet smiled. Finally, a chance to explore a new world! A chance that she'd though she'd never have before have. Her mother was a fair and kind woman, but also very concerned about her daughter's safety. It simply would not do, she would often say, to have something dreadful happen to the sole heir to the throne of Alexandria. And since the good king, Garnet's father, was dead six long years now, there would be no more heirs forthcoming.

And so, Garnet spent most of her days locked away in the palace, idling away time by reading, playing games with the maids, and having lunch dates with a few of her friends and the nobility. A blissful, but boring, life overall.

But now, as a present for her seventeenth birthday, her mother had allowed her to venture out into the worlds beyond, with one condition: She must be supervised at all times.

Captain Adelbert Steiner had, of course, jumped at the call. Steiner's loyalty to the kingdom of Alexandria and more specifically its royal family ran deep, though the reasons for such patriotism were unknown. Loyalty had been one reason; Rivalry was the other.

For years, ever since Garnet could recall (And from the tales other soldiers had told, long before that), Captain Steiner had been at odds with General Beatrix, the head of Alexandria's all female (With the exception of Steiner's squad, the knights of Pluto) military. The animosity had never been truly explained to Garnet by the captain or the general, though she suspected that it was mostly resentment on the part of Steiner. The Knights of Pluto were in general rather disrespected by the military at large.

So, when Beatrix had offered the princess a squad of her finest warriors for protection, Steiner had stepped in and argued the point. How he had won _that _argument, Garnet could only guess. But, he had won, and now he was her official bodyguard and escort on her foray into a new world. She was glad to have him. The captain was a gruff sort of man, but Garnet knew that in his heart he was kind. Plus, his strength would also come in hand in the case of any rough patches.

As they stepped out of the station, Garnet felt her breath catch in her throat. The view from the station plaza was magnificent, the majestic city stretching out to the horizon. Beyond could be seen rolling green hills.

But the most superb feature of the scene was most definitely the sky. The beautiful, perpetual twilight was one of the reasons that Garnet had been drawn to this world. It was one of the most awe-inspiring sights she had ever beheld.

Captain Steiner, however, seemed considerably less impressed. "Come along…urgh!...Princess. We must get you to your accommodations soon. According to the arrangements your mother has made, you'll be staying at the Twilight Town Royale, apparently one of the most famed hotels in the world. It had better be, for what it cost."

Garnet nodded to her bodyguard. "Very well then, you may lead the way, Captain. I trust you know where we are going."

"Of course, my princess, of course."

Grinning broadly, Garnet til Alexandros XVII unknowingly took the first steps in her greatest adventure.

**KH-KH-KH-KH-KH**

As he walked lazily along the streets of Twilight Town, Pence checked the black watch on his wrist. "10:15" it read. "Huh,' Pence mumbled as he glanced at it, "It must have taken me more time to get ready than I thought."

He wasn't worried about being late though. Hayner and Olette may not like it, but they had learned to accept that Pence did things at his own pace, and there was no way to speed him along if he didn't wish it.

It wasn't that Pence was slow-witted, mind you. In fact, of all his friends he almost certainly possessed the most raw intelligence, though a mild case of laziness ensured that Olette had better luck in the grades department, though that was fine with Pence. In his opinion, what did grades prove anyway? Certainly having a B+ in math didn't hinder him from accessing the computer beneath the old mansion?

Pence, Hayner, and Olette had often discussed the events of that strange day nearly five months ago. The three knew that they had seen those white creatures before, around town being menacing, but their origin was a mystery. And who had been the small mouse with the golden key-sword that the Sora had referred to as the king? King of what? Some far away kingdom, perhaps? Certainly not the King of Alexandria, a kingdom not far from Twilight Town. He was long dead. What had that beam that had seemingly digitized Sora and company been? Where had they gone? Who had put the computer beneath the mansion in the first place? Too many question, and exactly zero answers.

Hayner had claimed that Sora and his friends were some sort of time travelers, and that the device in the mansion had been their time machine. Olette figured that they were just from far away. Pence agreed, as he had heard some hushed talk of other worlds as the group had made their way through the mansion.

Pence turned left and found himself walking through the Sandlot. Unusual for a Saturday morning, Seifer and his gang didn't appear to be present. Pence was glad of it though. Although Seifer was, when it got down to it, just a bully, Pence didn't enjoy his encounters with him, not even in the way of enjoying victory like Hayner did whenever he managed to best his enemy. Pence was a thinker, not a fighter.

"Come along, your majesty," boomed a deep voice from a nearby alleyway, "And stick close to me, if you please. I do not like this area well." Along with the voice, Pence could hear the clinking of steel armor. He paused and waited to see who emerged.

The first figure he saw was quite obviously the source of the clank, armored as he was in steel plate, and most likely the source of the deep voice as well, large and muscled as he was. Pence noted that in his hand he carried a large trunk, and the hit of a sword stuck up from behind his back.

Behind him was perhaps the most beautiful girl that Pence had ever seen.

She was not a tall girl, standing about half an inch shorter than him, if he had to guess. Her dark hair fell to just past her shoulders, and delicate features decorated her face like a china doll. She was wearing a simple yet elegant dress of blue lace and silk, with matching blue gloves covering her hands. She was smiling slightly, most likely bemused by the big man from the way she was looking at him. Despite his warnings, she made no attempt to draw closer.

"Are you certain that you know where we are going, Captain?" she asked, her voice neutral despite her obvious amusement.

The big man stopped and turned to her. "Of course, your Grace," he replied, though the way his voice shook slightly when he said the words betrayed his unsurety. "I know exactly where we are going, your Majesty. It is simply taking a long time to get there."

_Your Majesty? _Pence thought, _Your grace? That girl must be some kind of royalty._ He had heard some of Princess Garnet of Alexandria in school, but he had never seen her before. But he was sure glad that he had now!

The perhaps-princess's eyes fell on him, and she smiled all the wider. Pence could feel the blush rising to his cheeks at that. _Oh man, she notices me!_

"Be that as it may, Captain, perhaps at this point it would be better to ask for directions," she insisted, and then raised a finger to point at Pence, "There's a local we could ask." And then she started to come over.

_Uh oh, _Pence thought. When it came to girls, the boy didn't have quite the same ease as Hayner. Stammering often played a large role in his interactions with the opposite sex, excepting of course Olette, and oddly that girl Kairi he had once met. And what if he didn't know the place she wanted directions to? That would only serve to make him look foolish in front of her. _Just relax_, he coached himself, _It's gonna be okay if you don't freak out._

"Excuse me, sir," the girl asked, her captain following close behind her, scowling, "I hate to bother you, but could you perhaps point us in the direction of the Twilight Tow Royale hotel. It seems that my companion here has gotten us quite lost."

Thankfully, Pence knew the way to the aforementioned hotel. Hardly anyone in town didn't. "Sure, no problem," he assured the princess. He told her the directions, and she nodded.

"Thank you, kind sir," she acknowledged, "If it weren't for our directions, we probably would have been wandering around this town for half the day."

"Aw, it was nothing," he told her, grinning sheepishly. "So, where are you from?"

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier!" the girl chuckled, "My name is…"

"Why are you so curious anyway, huh?" the man behind the girl growled, dropping the chest to the ground and stepping in front of her. "What's got you so interested in the name of her Majesty Garnet til Alexandros XVII?"

"Um…"

"Captain Steiner, please!" the girl, Garnet apparently, chided, "He was only being polite!" She turned to him and smiled. Pence felt another blush creep up, this one stronger than before. "Please forgive my loyal guard, sir. He's just a little bit jumpy in this new world." 

"It's, erm, it's n-no problem," Pence replied, "I guess I shouldn't have poked my nose into your affairs."

"That's right!" the Captain agreed, once again coming between the princess and the boy, "So why don't you just go run off, kid? Huh?" Garnet was frowning deeply, and her eyes narrowed angrily, but before she could say anything her bodyguard had grasped her shoulder and began to lead her away in the direction Pence had indicated earlier. "Come along, princess."

"Goodbye, um… What is your name, friend?"

"He's no friend of yours prin…"

"Oh, hush, Steiner!"

"It's Pence!" the boy called out, though by now the girl and her guard were already on their way out of the sandlot. "Pence," he repeated wistfully, staring sullenly at the place where the pair had made their exit.

_I just met a princess! _Pence realized, a huge grin spreading across his face, _Hayner and Olette will never believe _this_!_


End file.
